Few mysteries in Yellowjackets have captivated audiences quite like the Man with No Eyes. First appearing to Taissa Turner (played by Jasmin Savoy Brown and Tawny Cypress) during her grandmother’s death, this haunting figure has followed her from childhood through her time in the wilderness and into her adult life as a would-be politician. What makes the Man with No Eyes particularly intriguing is how his emergency predates the infamous plane crash, suggesting whatever supernatural force might be at work in the Canadian wilderness had already marked Taissa long before she became stranded. Now, Yellowjackets Season 3, Episode 3, “Them’s The Breaks,” finally reveals the unexpected origin of this terrifying apparition – only to cast doubt on it immediately.
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WARNING: Spoilers below for Yellowjackets Season 3, Episode 3
The revelation comes during an intimate moment between adult Taissa and Van (Lauren Ambrose), as they share a cozy evening watching old VHS recordings of “Pee Wee’s Playhouse.” Their comfortable domesticity is shattered when a commercial break reveals an advertisement for Ozzie’s Homemade Ice Cream Parlor. The seemingly innocent commercial features the Man with No Eyes (Brody Logan Romhanyi) getting ice cream, but with a twist – his usually empty eye sockets are filled with cartoonish eyes that pop out comically to emphasize how delicious the ice cream is. The sight sends Taissa into a panic as she finally recognizes the source of her lifelong terror. When Van confirms she can see the man too, Taissa realizes this isn’t another hallucination but rather the origin of her trauma: a childhood commercial that her young mind transformed into something sinister following her grandmother’s death.
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This apparent explanation crumbles during the episode’s climactic sequence in Coach Ben’s (Steven Krueger) cave system. After being exposed to toxic gas, Teen Van (Liv Hewson), Shauna (Sophie Nélisse), and Akhila (Nia Sondaya) find themselves trapped in a shared nightmare. The trio awakens in a surreal classroom where Lottie (Courtney Eaton) serves as their teacher, writing disturbing messages about death on the blackboard. As the teenagers try to understand whose dream they’re experiencing, the Man with No Eyes appears, slowly pushing a cart in the school’s corridor while staring into their classroom. The entire sequence raises troubling questions about the Man with No Eyes, as Taissa’s absence makes it impossible for her childhood trauma to explain his appearance in this collective hallucination.
Yellowjackets’ Explanation for the Man With No Eyes Is a Clear Misdirection
The Man with No Eyes storyline in Episode 3 perfectly encapsulates Yellowjackets‘ signature approach to its supernatural elements. By first revealing the ice cream commercial as a plausible psychological origin for Taissa’s visions, the show gives viewers the grounded explanation many have been seeking. However, the shared dream sequence introduces compelling evidence of the figure’s existence beyond Taissa’s trauma, effectively preventing any clear resolution to this long-running mystery.
This narrative technique – offering rational explanations while preserving supernatural possibilities – has helped Yellowjackets maintain its compelling atmosphere of uncertainty. Just as Lottie’s visions could be attributed to schizophrenia or genuine psychic abilities, and the wilderness itself might be either cursed or simply dangerous, the Man with No Eyes continues to defy simple categorization. The show excels at using this ambiguity to enhance its horror elements, as psychological and supernatural terrors are often more frightening when viewers cannot definitively explain them away.
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However, Yellowjackets‘ refusal to commit to any explanation for the Man with No Eyes is becoming frustrating. While preserving ambiguity can be effective, dropping major revelations only to immediately invalidate them feels like wheel-spinning rather than meaningful narrative development. The ice cream commercial could have been a satisfying piece of the puzzle, but instead, it becomes yet another dead end in the show’s collection of unanswered questions. If Yellowjackets hopes to maintain viewer investment in its central mysteries, it must start providing concrete answers alongside its expertly crafted new questions.
Yellowjackets Season 3 episodes premiere Fridays on Paramount+.
Have you developed any theories about the Man with No Eyes? Do you think Season 3 will give concrete answers about the show’s supernatural elements? Share your thoughts in the comments section!
